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IMDbPro

Bite the Bullet

  • 1975
  • PG
  • 2h 12m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
5.6K
YOUR RATING
Candice Bergen, James Coburn, and Gene Hackman in Bite the Bullet (1975)
A group of ex-rough riders, an ex-prostitute and a gunfighter enter a horse race in the desert.
Play trailer2:31
1 Video
31 Photos
ActionAdventureDrama

A pair of ex-Rough Riders, a former prostitute, a gunfighter, an aging cowboy and an English gentleman enter a 700-mile horse race through the Southwest desert in 1908.A pair of ex-Rough Riders, a former prostitute, a gunfighter, an aging cowboy and an English gentleman enter a 700-mile horse race through the Southwest desert in 1908.A pair of ex-Rough Riders, a former prostitute, a gunfighter, an aging cowboy and an English gentleman enter a 700-mile horse race through the Southwest desert in 1908.

  • Director
    • Richard Brooks
  • Writer
    • Richard Brooks
  • Stars
    • Gene Hackman
    • Candice Bergen
    • James Coburn
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.6/10
    5.6K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Richard Brooks
    • Writer
      • Richard Brooks
    • Stars
      • Gene Hackman
      • Candice Bergen
      • James Coburn
    • 55User reviews
    • 33Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 1 win & 2 nominations total

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:31
    Watch Official Trailer

    Photos31

    Candice Bergen and Gene Hackman in Bite the Bullet (1975)
    14" x 22" movie poster
    Candice Bergen, James Coburn, and Gene Hackman in Bite the Bullet (1975)
    Gene Hackman in Bite the Bullet (1975)
    Gene Hackman in Bite the Bullet (1975)
    Gene Hackman and Jan-Michael Vincent in Bite the Bullet (1975)
    James Coburn in Bite the Bullet (1975)
    Candice Bergen in Bite the Bullet (1975)
    James Coburn and Gene Hackman in Bite the Bullet (1975)
    Bite the Bullet (1975)
    Bite the Bullet (1975)
    Bite the Bullet (1975)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Gene Hackman
    Gene Hackman
    • Sam Clayton
    Candice Bergen
    Candice Bergen
    • Miss Jones
    James Coburn
    James Coburn
    • Luke Matthews
    Ben Johnson
    Ben Johnson
    • Mister
    Ian Bannen
    Ian Bannen
    • Sir Harry Norfolk
    Jan-Michael Vincent
    Jan-Michael Vincent
    • Carbo
    Robert Donner
    Robert Donner
    • Reporter
    Jean Willes
    Jean Willes
    • Rosie
    Mario Arteaga
    • Mexican
    Dabney Coleman
    Dabney Coleman
    • Jack Parker
    John McLiam
    John McLiam
    • Gebhardt
    Bob Hoy
    Bob Hoy
    • Lee Christie
    • (as Robert Hoy)
    Jerry Gatlin
    Jerry Gatlin
    • The Wood Cutter
    Sally Kirkland
    Sally Kirkland
    • Honey
    Walter Scott
    Walter Scott
    • Steve
    • (as Walter Scott Jr.)
    William H. Burton Jr.
    • Billy
    • (as Bill Burton)
    Buddy Van Horn
    Buddy Van Horn
    • Slim
    Joe Brooks
    Joe Brooks
    • Director
      • Richard Brooks
    • Writer
      • Richard Brooks
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The film was inspired by the 1908 700-mile cross-country horse race from Evanston, Wyoming to Denver, Colorado. It was sponsored by the Denver Post, which offered $2,500 prize money to the winner.
    • Goofs
      As the third (Jan-Michael Vincent) of three riders is exiting the train at the race station (close to the 12 minute mark), you can clearly see a crew member wearing t-shirt, sun-glasses and wrist watch, looking perfectly mid-1970's.
    • Quotes

      Mister: God, what ain't I tried. Pony express rider, Overland Stage driver, lawman, gambler, riverman, rancher, rodeo hand, barman, spittoon man... old man. Never much to remember. Of course, there ain't much to forget, either. Nobody's got much use for an old man. I can't blame 'em much. That's why I'm going to win this here newspaper race. When I cross the finish line, I get to be a big man. Top man. A man to remember.

    • Alternate versions
      UK version is cut (ca. 10 sec.) to remove sight of cruelty to horses (illegal horse falls) due to the Cinematograph Films (Animals) Act 1937.
    • Connections
      Featured in Behind the Action: Stuntmen in the Movies (2002)
    • Soundtracks
      National Emblem
      (uncredited)

      Written by Edwin Eugene Bagley

    User reviews55

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    "Horse don't give a damn who wins the race. Me either."
    If "Bite the Bullet" sentimentalizes the independence and force of ordinary men without glamor who have to struggle for a prize in a hard, bitter, and lonely environment, it also examines the cruel or inhumane treatment often inflicted on animals…

    "Bite the Bullet" is an all-star Western about a 700-mile horse race that takes place in the middle of 'Nowhere, USA' at the turn of the last century, for a chance to win the grand prize of $2000…

    At the head of the line is Gene Hackman, an ex-Rough Rider who believes in caring for lame animals, and despises cruelty to horses, ladies in distress, lost kids and lost causes…Hackman has got the heart, and at the film's climax, he is the sleeper—the one to beat…

    His old-timer friend from fighting days at San Juan Hill is James Coburn, a natural-born gambler who certainly can't afford to lose… He just bet everything on this race, and got seven-to-one… Coburn and Hackman have a great chemistry together, and their friendly rivalry imposes the name of the game…

    Also riding: Candice Bergen, who has 'two thousand reasons' to compete in the race; Ben Johnson who desperately wants to win the prize to be a man to remember; Ian Bannen, the tough Englishman who comes 5,000 miles to beat the best; Mario Arteaga, the cool Mexican who needs the money for his loving family in spite of suffering from unbearable toothache; and Jan Michael-Vincent who brings the lower calibrations of judgment, antagonism, and rage to his interactions... This punk kid certainly has a knack of provoking a man to violence… He soon will be in his own best way to learn some life lessons from 'real' cowboys...

    Brooks' movie has the courage to show how beauty can flourish in our treatments for animals… He accomplished a film that is beautifully photographed and expertly put together… Brooks leaves a whole host of abiding impressions through his nine riders' true character
    helpful•50
    5
    • Nazi_Fighter_David
    • Jul 4, 2007

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 25, 1975 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
      • 700 Meilen westwärts
    • Filming locations
      • White Sands National Monument, New Mexico, USA(filmed on location in: The White Sands National Monument, New Mexico)
    • Production companies
      • Persky-Bright Productions
      • Vista
      • Columbia Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $4,000,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      2 hours 12 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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